The Night Off
by Madame Atomic Bomb
Summary: When the sexual tension between Suki and Zuko becomes a problem, Ty Lee and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors set out to get them together. Whether they like it or not!
1. One

**NOTE: This is the sequel to "The Hook Up". Please read that first. **

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE:**

* * *

Ty Lee pulled up short as she turned a corner on the way to the courtyard, brows drawing low as she spotted three of the Kyoshi Warriors crouched beneath one of the decorative stone walls enclosing the covered promenade from the open courtyard where the warriors usually did their training on warm days.

She'd expected them to be training, not crouching like spies.

"And just what is going on here?" Ty Lee said, eyebrow rising as the three girls jumped and whipped their heads in her direction.

"Shhhh!" Aiko hissed, reaching out and grasping Ty Lee's hand, yanking her down behind the low brick wall and out of sight of the courtyard. "Keep your voice down!"

"What are you doing?"

"Watching. Duh," Qing said, rolling her eyes and gesturing wildly to the two people sparring in the sunlit arena, whom Ty Lee hadn't paid much attention to until now.

A look of dawning realizing crossed Ty Lee's face as her mouth formed a small 'o' that faded into an impish grin. "Are they doing it again?"

Aiko snorted. "They're within fifty feet of each other, of course they're doing it again."

"Just fuck already," Kikki mumbled, making Ty Lee snort a laugh that she quickly stifled behind her hand.

"Kikki!"

"What?" Kikki said, turning wide eyes on the others. "Like you weren't thinking it too. Look at them, the sexual tension between them is turning me on."

Ty Lee grinned, peeping her eyes over the low wall, and watching as the two sparring figures circled one another, and then came at each other with banked fury. There was a palpable tension between them, sizzling and sparking like a lightning blast. It sent goosebumps down Ty Lee's arms, watching the two of them make eye contact.

When Zuko caught Suki's wrist, spun her and shoved her against one of the pillars, pinning her there, Ty Lee felt her heart jump, and her whole body tensed as the two of them stared at one another, that burning fire between them igniting.

"Just freaking kiss her, you idiot," Ty Lee hissed through her teeth as Aiko made a frustrated noise beside her and pushed her hands together as if she were willing the two of them together with the power of her mind.

The moment passed, however, and Zuko let up, his feet dancing backward as Suki shoved away from the pillar, and rolled her shoulders. The Captain of the Kyoshi Warriors dropped into another stance and came at the Fire Lord with a well-aimed strike that took him in the gut. He dropped back, doubling over for a second, before feinting a punch that would have taken her in the chest if he'd truly been aiming for her—and he hadn't been. Instead, the strike rolled across her shoulder as she sidestepped to avoid it; letting Zuko's other arm come in beneath and grasp Suki by the arm she had brought up in defense.

She was ready for the move, and instead of letting Zuko's momentum tug her forward, she rolled with it, turning and flipping Zuko across her back. He landed on his ass on the ground at her feet as she gave a playful "HYA!" and grinned down at him.

Suki stood over him, and Ty Lee heard her voice ring out across the courtyard.

"Yield?"

"Never," Zuko said and rolled, catching Suki's legs and knocking her to the ground. He rolled up, grasped her hands, intending to pin her down again, but she wrapped her legs around his waist and bucked upward. Her body arched into his and he fell on his back, with her straddling him. She grasped his wrists and pinned them to the ground beside his head.

"Yield?"

"No…" Zuko said stubbornly. "How did you do that?"

"You want me to teach you?"

"Yeah."

"Yield."

"Make me," Zuko said and the grin on his face was practically obscene.

Qing groaned and hit her head against the wall. "Okay…she does know Zuko is flirting with her, right?"

"I didn't know Zuko even knew how to flirt," Aiko said, an impressed expression on her face.

"Me neither," Ty Lee mused, watching as Suki grinned and said something to Zuko none of them could hear across the wide courtyard.

The four of them watched as Zuko sat up, and Suki settled into his lap, explaining the move she'd pulled on him…while not moving out of his lap. Zuko appeared to be listening intently, like a good student, but his hand was resting on Suki's lower back, his thumb stroking her bare skin. And his mouth was cocked into the most bemused smile Ty Lee had ever seen on his face.

It wasn't the kind of look Ty Lee saw on the Fire Lord's face often. Zuko was tense as a rule, overworked in general and high strung at the best of times…

But with Suki…

With Suki, he was almost relaxed. He was almost happy.

"Do you think they're already sleeping together?" Aiko asked, echoing the thought that had formed in the back of Ty Lee's mind on more than one occasion. Especially over the last month, when things between the two of them had gone from mild flirtation to straight up burning sexual tension.

Straight up asking Suki about it, however, had been a mistake.

Ty Lee had never seen the calm and competent Suki so completely flustered in her life. There had been a tacit denial, a lot of blushing and then Suki had stormed off, tossing a "Don't be ridiculous!" over her shoulder.

"I bet they did it when they were in Ba Sing Se last month," Kikki said prosaically, pursing her lips as she nodded. "They've both been cranky bitches since they got back."

"We'd probably know by now if they were sleeping together," Ty Lee said thoughtfully, though she thought maybe Kikki had a point.

"None of the night shift girls have said anything," Qing said. "He's definitely sleeping alone."

"So they either slept together in Ba Sing Se and now they're not, for some reason… Or they just want to screw each other's brains out…but haven't. For some reason."

"That sounds about right," Ty Lee sighed.

"We've got to do something," Aiko said darkly. "If they don't hook up soon, I swear, I'm going to tie them both up and force them to admit that they like each other."

"Yeah, that'll go over well," Qing snorted. "They'd both deny it if we confronted them. Suki's too dedicated to her job. She'd think it was improper. Remember when I went out to dinner with that palace guard and she gave me a lecture? She doesn't believe in mixing work and pleasure. She'd never make a move on Zuko."

They watched the two roll to their feet, and go through the move Suki had been showing Zuko; slowly at first, and then with more speed until Zuko got the move down and he pinned Suki beneath him, just as she had done to him. His hair fell forward over one shoulder, having come down from its neat ponytail. It haloed their faces, as Suki said something that made Zuko smile.

"But would Zuko make a move on her?" Aiko asked, her gaze darting to Ty Lee, who knew both of them well.

Ty Lee watched as Suki stood and held out a hand to Zuko. She helped him up and as he gained his feet, his momentum brought them chest to chest. Zuko had that soft look on his face again, as Suki tilted her head up to look him in the eyes. He reached out a hand and gently pushed her hair out of her face.

Qing hitched in a breath, watching as Zuko said something to Suki that made her whole body shudder. Then she gently pushed Zuko back with a hand on his chest. When she turned away from him, it was with a determined, but strained look on her red face.

"I think that's it for today," Suki said loudly enough for them to hear, and there was a shake in her voice.

"Suki…"

"I have to go," she said and then she jogged out of the courtyard in the opposite direction the four of them were crouching. Zuko watched her go with a strained expression on his face for a moment. Then he let loose, turning and kicking the head off of one of the practice dummies with a gigantic gout of flame that sizzled and crackled through the air.

Ty Lee could feel the heat of it from across the courtyard and watched as Zuko dropped back onto both feet and hung his head.

"Fuck," he snarled with feeling, putting his face in his hands. Ty Lee ducked down beneath the wall again and met the other girl's eyes one by one. They listened as Zuko continued to curse to himself as he gathered up his shirt and left the courtyard.

"Yeah, that guy has it bad," Aiko said. "I'll eat my helmet if he hasn't already made some kind of move and I don't think it worked out in his favor."

"So Suki doesn't like him?" Qing said, confusion on her pretty face as she scrunched her button nose. "That's not at all what I've been reading from her. I know body language and that girl is ready to climb him like a tree."

"Maybe she has her reasons?" Ty Lee offered.

"Maybe our fearless captain needs to unclench once in a while," Kikki groused. "Seriously, if they don't resolve this tension soon, I'm gonna lose it. She's always in a bad mood and Zuko's a freaking mess. We'd all have an easier life if these two got their heads on straight."

"I don't even need them to bang, to be honest. If they'd both just take a night off to relax, I'd be happy," Aiko said.

"Seconded. Suki definitely needs a night off."

"Zuko too."

"But they won't take one. Or take each other," Kikki laughed. "So what can we do about it?"

"I think…I have an idea," Ty Lee said slowly, her mind whirring.

"What sort of idea?" Aiko asked, eyebrow arching as she saw the devious light in Ty Lee's eyes. Ty Lee just grinned at her.

"Just trust me."

"They're going to hate us meddling," Qing said, shaking her head, but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"When we're done with these two idiots, they won't know what hit them," Ty Lee vowed.


	2. Two

**CHAPTER TWO:**

* * *

"Dammit," Zuko cursed, as his brush rolled off of his piles of paperwork with a splatter of dark ink. He dived after it, ducking under the side of the desk and snatching it off of the carpet. He winced as he saw the black spot of ink the bristles had left behind. "Shit."

"Problems?" someone said, making Zuko jump in his chair. He rammed his shoulder into the edge of the desk and yelped as he turned to look at Ty Lee standing before his desk. He rubbed his shoulder and glared at her as she stood before him, an amused smile on her face and one hand cocked onto her hip.

"The hell did you come from?" he groused, slapping the brush back down on the desk.

Ty Lee's painted brow quirked upward at his tone, but he was too disgruntled to care that he'd snapped at her.

"The door's open. I wasn't being quiet," she said, tilting her head toward the door of his office, which was always open during his working hours. He felt like it made him seem more accessible to his people.

"Most people knock first," he mumbled, sliding another stack of papers in front of him as Ty Lee's smile grew wider.

"Most people would have heard me come in," she said. "You're getting soft."

"And you're bothering me, so what do you want?" Zuko said, grabbing his brush and dipping it in the inkwell.

"Nothing… It's my shift this afternoon," she said, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking back and forth on her heels. "So whatcha doin'?"

"Paperwork."

"Sounds exciting."

"As exciting as watching ink dry," Zuko said dryly, signing a document without even reading it. "But it's probably slightly more exciting than watching me sign papers. Which is something you've never asked me about before, and I know that look on your face, Ty Lee, so whatever is going on in that head of yours just come out with it."

"Did you have sex with Suki?"

He smeared ink across his signature, his heart skipping a beat as his head jerked up. He stared at Ty Lee in shock, sure that he hadn't heard her correctly.

"What?"

"You heard me. Have you two slept together?" Ty Lee repeated earnestly, as glanced at the open door of his office with wide eyes.

"Keep your voice down!"

"Answer the question."

"Ty Lee!" Zuko choked, bolting up from his chair and rushing at the door. He glanced around the hallway, but there was no one there. He closed the door behind him with a soft click and turned back to face the Kyoshi Warrior, his face thunderous. "Someone could have heard you!"

"That's not a no," she observed. "So did you?"

"Why…uh…wh… Uh, what did Suki say?" he said slowly, and then winced.

"I'm not asking Suki, I'm asking you."

"It's none of your business, Ty Lee," Zuko snapped at her.

"That's definitely a yes, then," she said and then shook her head. "Don't bother denying it. It's written all over your face."

Zuko looked into her eyes and then let out a defeated breath. His shoulders sagged and he hung his head, rubbing at his forehead with his ink-stained fingers.

"Yeah. Okay, we…kinda slept together. Last month. In Ba Sing Se," he said miserably. "Don't tell anyone!"

"I won't," she said easily. "I mean, most of the girls already suspect that something happened between the two of you, but I won't tell them if you don't want me to."

Zuko stared at her in horror. "The girls know? How? Suki made it really clear that she didn't want anyone to know and if she–"

She held up her hands, stopping him, brows shooting up and her mouth open. "Whoa, calm down. Suki didn't say anything. I did ask her and she told me I was being ridiculous. That there was nothing between you two."

Zuko felt a stab of pain in his chest and his mouth closed,

"Oh." He licked his lips and walked back around to his desk. He sat down in his chair slowly, gingerly. "She did, huh?"

The look on Ty Lee's face was pitying. "She lied to me. Clearly."

"Just about us sleeping together…but she's not wrong. There's nothing between us," he said bitterly, and just barely stopped himself from saying more, afraid to give himself away even more than he already had. "What makes you think there is?"

"Because the two of you have been grouching around the palace since you got back, snapping everyone's heads off and acting like two people who know they like one another and are two stupid to do anything about it."

"I'm not…" he started and then grumbled, "I tried to do something about it. She's not interested."

Ty Lee lowered herself into one of the chairs in front of his desk, crossing her legs and tapping her closed fan on her knee.

"What makes you think she's not interested?" she asked gently.

"Because that's what Suki told me," he said and took a deep breath. "She made it pretty clear after we slept together that it was a one-time only thing and that nothing could happen between us ever again. That it was a mistake to sleep with me in the first place."

"She said that?"

"A couple of times," he mumbled, and then off Ty Lee's questioning look, he explained, "I'm…not good at taking hints, apparently." Shame burned in his face.

Try as he might, he'd been unable to stop himself from flirting with Suki, even though she'd made it very clear how she felt about him. He couldn't help it. He'd been crazy for her even before they'd slept together at his uncle's the last night of his week-long visit. But sleeping with her…having her for just one, long, blissful night… That wasn't something he'd been able to let go of yet, despite her apparent disinterest.

He'd tried. He wanted to respect how she felt and he was trying…but something in the back of his head was telling him something completely different about the situation, that giving up was a mistake. And it wasn't just his head making things a mess for him.

"So you think she meant it?"

He shrugged. "I figure she knows better than I do, and I have to respect that. And I'm trying to."

"But?"

"But what, Ty Lee? What am I going to do, force her to feel the same way about me as I feel about her? I can't do that. If I have feelings for her, then that's my problem. Even if I'm out of my mind in love with her–" He stopped himself, blanching and sitting back in his chair as his hand clapped over his mouth. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Fuck."

Ty Lee held up her hands, an excited look on her face that didn't bode well for him. "You're what?"

"I didn't say that," he said, his voice muffled by his fingers.

"Uh…yeah, you did."

"Shut up."

"You're in love with her? Awww...I just thought you wanted to fuck her," her voice soft and touched.

"TY LEE!"

She grinned at her and bounced in her chair. "When? How? I NEED DETAILS! Did you know you were in love with her before you guys slept together or–"

"I'm not talking about this!"

"Oh, yes, you are!" Ty Lee said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Look, we've all known that there was something between you guys before Ba Sing Se. It's pretty obvious to anyone who spends more than five minutes in the same room with the two of you. You practically eye-fuck each other and don't get me started on your little workout sessions. It's just an excuse for the two of you to dry hump!"

Zuko flushed, and started to respond, but she ran on.

"And it's only gotten worse since you guys got back. The sexual tension between the two of you is through the roof, Zuko. We're all going crazy watching you two flirt with each other."

"She's not flirting with me," he said. "She told me she's not."

"And I bet she believes that, too," Ty Lee laughed. "But as an outside observer…trust me. She is. I know Suki, Zuko. She's got this weird thing about mixing duty with pleasure. We're not supposed to fraternize with any of the palace guards or servants. She thinks it makes us appear unprofessional, and as representatives of Kyoshi and as your trusted guards we have to be above reproach in all things. If she won't even let Qing date one of your soldiers, how would it look if she started sleeping with the Fire Lord? It makes her a hypocrite and if she's worried about how it'll make the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors look, of course she'll deny everything, because what else can she do?"

Zuko stared at her for a long moment. "You seem awfully sure of her thinking."

Ty Lee shrugged. "It's a theory, but I bet I'm closer to the mark than you are, thinking she's not actually interested."

Zuko rubbed at his temple and thought a long moment. Then he sighed and looked up at her.

"I did think that too, in Ba Sing Se. I thought she was interested, and then she just shut down on me. Even if she feels the same way I do, I still have to respect her wishes, Ty Lee. She has her reasons for rejecting me—duty, hypocrisy, whatever—and it's not my job to convince her of what she wants, or act like I know better than she does. That's not how this works."

Ty Lee shook her head, but her smile was impish and fond. "Spirits, Zuko… How did she turn you down? If I swung that way, I'd bang you myself. Right here. Right on the desk."

"I'm flattered," he said flatly.

"You should be, you idiot," Ty Lee laughed.

"I am an idiot," he agreed with a sigh.

"So does she know you're in love with her?"

"No. Don't tell her."

"I won't," Ty Lee said reassuringly and then leaned forward. "But I have to ask… How did it happen?"

"What?" he asked, though he knew what she was getting at.

"Ba Sing Se. I have to know how you did it."

"I'm not giving you the horny details."

"Not the sex part!" Ty Lee corrected with an exasperated huff. "But like…the rest of it. How did you get her into bed in the first place? How did you make her unclench long enough to toss her duty out the window? And also…how was it?"

"Excuse me?"

"Like, is she as good in bed as I think she is?" Ty Lee said with a waggle of her brows.

"Ty Lee…" Zuko laughed, rubbing a hand down his face. "That… That whole night feels like it happened to someone else. And… Yes, she was as incredible as you think she would be. More so. I can't stop thinking about it, as hard as I try not to. That's why it's so hard being around her now. Before we slept together, I could hide how she makes me feel, but now… Every time I look at her I just keep seeing that night and her skin…and…"

He stopped himself, clearing his throat and shifting uncomfortably in his chair. His cheeks felt acutely warmer than they had a moment ago.

"So tell me about it. Maybe it'll help to get it out?"

"You just want to hear the filthy details."

"Maybe."

Zuko pressed his lips together, glanced at the closed door and then back at Ty Lee.

"Okay… So, we were at my uncle's... And things between us were kind of coming to a head, you might say. I definitely wanted something to finally happen between us."

"So what did you do?"

"Well…it really started when the Earth king proposed to me..."


	3. Three

Zuko paced the floor of his suite, hands clasped behind his back, his gaze unfocused as he wore a line from one end of his room and back again. It didn't help his state of mind, or the restlessness that he felt, but it was better than sitting still.

He chewed on his lip and thought about the conversation he'd had with Ty Lee in his office that afternoon. He hadn't wanted to tell her any of it, but Ty Lee was far too observant. And she knew both him and Suki far too well not to have noticed the tension between them.

He'd known it was bad, having lived a tortured existence since that night in Ba Sing Se, but he hadn't realized that other people might have noticed the strange energy between him and Suki too.

Apparently, he really was bad at pretending he didn't want Suki. He couldn't help it. He'd thought wanting her had been torture enough, but after sleeping with her—and then having her shut him out the morning after—well there wasn't a word for the pain he felt.

He was in love with her. He'd known even before they'd slept together. He'd even planned to tell her that morning, before she'd told him she didn't have feelings for him and that she'd only slept with him to get him out of her system.

Which, according to Ty Lee, was probably a flat out lie. He had known that too, but what could he do about it? Suki had her reasons for turning him down, and no matter how he felt about her, he couldn't make her admit anything, or change her mind. He'd already tried to manipulate her feelings in Ba Sing Se, when he'd flirted with the Earth King's admittedly beautiful cousin, trying to make her jealous enough to admit she had feelings for him/

That had blown up in his face pretty much immediately, and he still regretted how much what he'd done had hurt her. The thing he'd wanted was to cause her any pain, but he'd been so desperate to get the stubborn woman of his dreams to admit how she felt.

He'd thought, when she'd come to him the last night of his vacation, that maybe it had worked after all. But then...

Zuko paced, trying not to think about that night, and especially not the morning after. The entire trip back to the Fire Nation had been full of silence and awkward moments and nothing had been right between them since.

And her behavior had been...confusing, to say the least. She still flirted with him before she caught herself and shut down on him. It was in those moments that he was certain that Suki had lied to him in Ba Sing Se. That she really did feel the same way about him.

But he couldn't be sure. Ty Lee had felt sure, though, and that was a whole other torture on its own.

What could he do? He couldn't force her hand. If she wanted to be with him, she would be. Until then...

_Until then, if ever, I'll just slowly die of love for her,_ he thought bitterly and then sighed a little, running a hand down his face, wishing that he had the nerve to just go up to her and kiss her, just like his uncle had told him to do in the first place.

Of course, Iroh had also told him to make her jealous and that had clearly not worked in his favor either. He doubted his uncle had ever encountered a woman as stubborn as Suki. Who knew what would work?

Still obsessing over the smoldering ruin of his love life, it took Zuko a few seconds to realize that someone was knocking on the door of his suite. A glance at the window told him it wasn't dinner yet. No one bothered him in his suite unless it was an emergency. Steeling himself for a crisis, Zuko squared his shoulders, shoved Suki out of his thoughts with a rough shove, and put on his Fire Lord Mask, prepared to handle whatever was awaiting him.

He wasn't prepared for Tam and Aiko, however. Tam bounced through the door the moment he opened it, and Aiko followed more sedately, an amused smile on her face.

"Evening," Tam said, grinning widely, her long hair swinging. She was out of uniform, wearing a Fire Nation-style red shirt that bared her flat belly and a matching mini-skirt that showed that showed off quite a lot of leg. On her feet were brown leather sandals, and jewelry glittered at her wrists, ears and neck. Aiko was wearing a pair of gold knee pants, and a halter top with gold embroidery on it. Her hair was coiled atop her head, with strands artfully framing her face.

He didn't often get to see the Kyoshi Warrior's out of uniform, and it was a strange experience.

"What's wrong?" Zuko asked, looking into the hallway, expecting one of his generals, or a member of his council, but there was no one there, save Kikki, standing at attention. She winked at him as she caught his eye. Frowning, he ducked back into the room, only to find Tam looking at him appraisingly.

"Mmm... You know, you cut a sharp figure in that get-up, but I don't think it's a good idea if you wear that," Tam said and walked into his bedroom.

"Tam-" he started, following her, frowning with confusion. "What are you doing?"

Tam had opened his wardrobe and was picking through his clothing with an appraising eye. "We want something that screams sexy, but not too rich. Maybe show some arm? You've got great arms, Zuko. Pants, pants, pants... Do you have anything that shows off your butt?"

Zuko blinked at her. "What? Why would I need something like that? What are you doing?"

"We told you, us girls have decided! YOU need a night off!" Aiko said, walking past him into the room. She walked over Tam and started sorting through his clothing too.

"A night off?" he exclaimed, walking over to them. "What do you mean, a night off?"

"You know, no working? Doing nothing but having fun? Getting out of this palace and kicking your heels up? You remember how to do that, right?" Tam offered, pulling a pair of black leather pants out of the wardrobe. Zuko ducked his head, capturing her eye and making her look up at him.

"Of course, I do! But I don't...I can't... I'm the Fire Lord! I can't exactly go out and party like a commoner," he said, trying to grab the pants from Tam. She yanked it out of his reach.

"Who says?"

Zuko hesitated. "Well, no one, but I have duties and... I can't just take a night off!"

"Why not? You're the Fire Lord, Zuko! If you wanted to run around in the streets naked with a sock puppet on your hand who would stop you? You don't follow the rules, you make the rules. So you can kind of do whatever you want."

"That is the exact attitude that lead my great-grandfather to invading the other Nations, and my father to declaring himself the Phoenix King," he said flatly. "Not a great argument."

"Zuko, this is about you letting your hair down and a having a few drinks, not declaring yourself King of the World and then firebombing the Earth Kingdom," Aiko said patiently. "You need to have a little fun."

"You guys make it sound really easy, but it's not."

"Yes, it is! You just take that crown off, put these leather pants on, and let us worry about the details. I promise, you'll have a great time."

Zuko hesitated, looking from Tam to Aiko to the pants and back again. "What did you guys have in mind?"

Tam's grin was lascivious.

"There's this tavern down in the Harbor City that we like to go to on our night's off. There's usually a band and dancing, and the drinks are good."

"Dancing? I don't dance."

"After a few drinks, you might," Tam said, flashing him another grin. The next moment her grin faded a little and she said in a serious voice, "Ty Lee said you might need a little distraction."

His mouth slapped shut. "What exactly did Ty Lee say?"

"You know what she said," Tam snorted.

"I told her not to tell you!"

"We already knew, Zuko," Aiko said, exasperation in her usually patient voice. "Let's face it, you're both open books. No one's judging. And we all think Suki's being a stubborn ass about it. She's clearly into you."

"It's that duty thing she's obsessed with," Tam said wryly. "But we'll knock that right out of her."

"What do you mean?"

"Never you mind," Aiko said soothingly. "Just concentrate on having a good time tonight and we'll handle the rest. You're going, Fire Lord Zuko. End of story."

Zuko glanced at the floor, where he'd been wearing a path in the rug, too keyed up to sit still, obsessing over Suki. He certainly needed something to get his mind off her.

And yet...his thoughts drifted to her automatically.

"Is Suki going to be there?"

"Hmmm...maybe..." Tam said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Zuko's brow lifted as he studied the two Warriors. He knew that look in Tam's eye.

"What are you girls planning?"

"Nothing," Aiko said blandly, flashing him a grin, before pulling a sleeveless red silk shirt piped in black out of his closet. She held it up to the leather pants and then thrust them both at him. He caught them against his chest with a little _oof_ at the force. "Put these on. And lose the crown."

"I don't know..."

"We're not taking no for an answer," Aiko said firmly, stomping her foot and pointing to the bathing room door.

Zuko hesitated, glancing at the clothing and then the bathing room door. He had the sudden image of Suki, dancing in his arms, laughing, her arms around his neck...his lips on hers...

"When are we leaving?" Zuko asked them. Tam put her hands on her hips.

"Just as soon as we wrangle your date."

"My date?" he asked, eyes popping. "Seriously, what are you planning?"

"Just trust us, Zuko."

Zuko licked his lips and then gave in. Anything was better than pacing his suite wishing he had the nerve to knock on Suki's door and tell her that he was in love with her.

"If this blows up in my face, I'm blaming every single one of you."

"Just trust us," Tam said as he ducked into the bathing room. He closed the door and let out a breath.

Whatever the Kyoshi Warriors were planning, he was prepared to go with it. He'd do anything for Suki, including letting eight scheming women drag him to a dodgy tavern where someone might make him dance.

_And apparently,_ he thought, holding up the pants ruefully, _I'm also prepared to __wear tight leather pants while doing it._

* * *

A knock sounded on Suki's door, making her look up from her paperwork with a touch of irritation. A glance at the wall told her that it was nearly time for her to take the night shift watching over Zuko. She wasn't expecting any visitors, however.

She was very surprised indeed when she discovered Ty Lee on the other side of the door, wearing civilian clothing. Before Suki could say anything in greeting, Ty Lee shoved the door open and sailed inside like some sylvan wood nymph out for mischief.

Suki's eyes flicked down across Ty Lee's petal pink outfit wistfully. It had been a while since Suki worn anything but her uniform. She had almost forgotten what it was like to let her hair down, and seeing Ty Lee looking so carefree made her just a touch envious.

"You work too hard, Captain!" Ty Lee declared by way of greeting, holding up her finger.

"Uh—" Suki started, confused as the acrobat turned in a wide circle, her pink mini-skirt swirling around her legs, her long braid flying.

"The girls and I have decided that you need a night off. So put your sexiest knickers on and run a brush through your hair. We're going out for drinks!" Ty Lee said brightly.

"We are?" she said skeptically. "I'm on duty in a few minutes. I have to guard Zuko."

"Tam and Aiko are handling Zuko tonight. So no excuses. Put on something sexy," Ty Lee said, walking over to her wardrobe and throwing it open.

"I can't just abandon my duty, Ty Lee," Suki argued, walking over to her. Ty Lee ignored her, pulling out a bright red, backless halter dress that Suki had bought but never worn. Although she'd been more than tempted to wear it a few times in Zuko's presence...

But she stopped that thought dead in its tracks, just like she had been since that night in Ba Sing Se. And before that as well. She was not allowed to think about Zuko, or dwell in her memories of what it had been like making love to him.

And she definitely wasn't allowed to admit to herself that she still ached for him every minute of the day. Being around him was torture. And it was even worse when he looked at her or touched her. She had come so close to breaking her vow to keep things between them professional so many times. She was weak...and...

_And totally in love with him,_ she thought wildly, and then felt guilt and pain stab through her.

"You're not abandoning anything," Ty Lee laughed, pushing the dress into her hands. "You're taking a night off and having fun. You need this. And frankly, if you don't pull that stick that's currently residing in your ass out, then I am going to chi-block you into a drooling puddle on the floor and charge people admission to see it," Ty Lee said, her voice suddenly hard, her eyes serious.

"Ty Lee!"

"I'm serious, Suki! You've been biting everyone's heads off since you got back from Ba Sing Se, and _don't_ bother lying to me about the reason why. We both know you're so hung up on Zuko it's pathetic!" Ty Lee said, putting her hand on her hip.

Suki stared at her normally sweet and cheerful friend in shock. Ty Lee had asked her if something had happened between her and Zuko a few days ago. She'd lied and said no, but she knew Ty Lee hadn't believed her.

_I wouldn't believe me either,_ Suki thought bitterly._ It's pretty obvious what my problem is._

She knew she'd been irritable, but now she realized she'd been a downright bitch to the other Warriors. She felt guilty. They were her sisters, her best friends. She'd taken her misery out on them. No wonder Ty Lee was looking at her like she really was about to chi-block her into submission.

"Ty Lee..."

"Look, I get it. You slept with Zuko! That's kind of a huge deal," Ty Lee said, bending down and sorting through the shoes lined up at the bottom of the wardrobe. "But you need to figure out what you really want, and stop torturing the both of you already."

"I'm not torturing Zuko."

"Please. That man is so torn up over you he's about to lose his mind," Ty Lee said, squinting up at her. "And I know you've noticed."

She had, but she didn't want to admit it.

"It's not that simple, Ty Lee. I can't just... We can't. I can't. He can't."

Ty Lee pulled a pair of strappy black sandals out of the bottom of the closet and shoved them into her hands. "And why not? And don't try and tell me its because someone might think it's unprofessional, or that because he's the Fire Lord you're somehow just _soooo_ beneath him."

Suki shifted uncomfortably, clutching the dress and the shoes. "I don't think I'm beneath him..."

"Good, because if you did I'd have to hit you really hard in the head to knock some actual sense into you," Ty Lee said sweetly, reaching out and clutching Suki's upper arms. She looked into her eyes and her expression brooked no argument. "If you have feelings for him, you should be with him. It doesn't matter that you're his bodyguard. Not to him, and not to the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors. We know how you guys feel about each other. We'd _love_ to see you two hook up. It would make all of our lives much easier. So stop being so stubborn. And learn to live a little, Captain!"

Suki blew out a breath, feeling thoroughly miserable.

"It's not that simple, Ty Lee. And going out with the girls isn't going to fix it."

"Wine can fix anything if you drink enough of it," Ty Lee said, grinning again. "You're going. End of story."

Suki glanced at her armor on its stand in the corner. She hadn't taken a night off in so long. Not since... But thinking of Ba Sing Se just made her body ache with longing. She bit her lip and looked back at Ty Lee.

"You're right. I could use a night off. It might be good, to get a little distance from Zuko."

"_Please._ The last thing you two need is distance," Ty Lee snorted. "What you _need_ is close up, skin on skin, hot and sticky togetherness."

"_Ty Lee_," she said flatly, but Ty Lee just grinned at her and jabbed her finger at the bathing room door.

"Go on, Captain. We have a date with destiny," Ty Lee said, leaving Suki to sigh and trudge into the bathing room. As she got undressed and then climbed into the scandalous red dress, she glanced in the mirror, and was unable to stop herself from wondering what Zuko would think of her in it...and how it would make him feel...

Would he grab her and kiss her like he had in Ba Sing Se?

An ache rode through her middle, her skin buzzing with the memory of his sizzling kisses, and the way he had worked his mouth down her body...nibbling at her until she was a gasping mess in his arms...

Suki squeezed her eyes shut, stopping the memories with tooth and nail, wishing she could go back and change it all... Except she didn't know what she'd have changed. Sleeping with him? Or lying to him about her feelings? And did it matter?

Her reasons still stood, as stupid as Ty Lee thought they were. No matter what her heart wanted, she had made her choice and now she had to live with it.

_And it was the wrong one,_ a little voice said in the back of her mind. She ignored it.

As usual.


	4. Four

**CHAPTER FOUR**

* * *

Suki didn't know why she felt so nervous. She'd been dancing with the girls before, although admittedly it had had been a long time since she'd been out with them. She usually volunteered to stay behind to guard Zuko instead.

She liked to pretend it was because she was being a good Captain, letting the other girls let loose once in a while while she stayed behind and did her duty, but in reality she was happy to spend those nights alone with Zuko. All they'd ever done was hang out, and talk, usually until far too late into the night. It had always felt good, getting him to herself. He had always seemed to enjoy those nights alone too.

The problem was those nights had always end the same way, with her running scared from her feelings, and him looking at her like he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and not let go. And he almost had, more than once. She'd come so close to letting him so many times...

Was it any wonder that she had finally broken in Ba Sing Se?

_But I just have to be strong now...__no matter how much it hurts_, Suki thought bitterly as she walked beside Ty Lee, with Qing, Rin and Mei Lin flanking her on either side. Tam and Aiko were supposedly keeping guard on Zuko back at the palace, but she'd noticed that Kikki and Chao-Ahn hadn't come with them either.

"Are the others coming?" she asked Ty Lee as they turned down the streets of the Harbor City, heading toward the Kyoshi Warriors' favorite tavern, the Sea Witch.

"Uhh...yeah," Ty Lee said, her voice airy, a grin on her lips as she glanced at Suki. "They should be at the tavern already."

A strong wind gusted across them, bringing with it the scent of the sea and a taste of ozone. Suki glanced up and saw gathering clouds in the distance, the cottony tops lit with pinks and oranges from the setting sun, flickers of lightning running pink and yellow flashes, jagged and hungry.

She frowned and hoped the storm stayed out sea. Taking the switchback pass to the Caldera was treacherous at the best of times: in a storm it was damned near suicidal. She'd hate to get stuck in the city while the storm blew in.

"I am going to get sloppy drunk," Rin declared, slinging an arm around Suki's shoulder, distracting her from her thoughts of the weather. "And then I'm going to find a man to go home with."

"_Rin_," Suki started, but Rin shushed her with a finger against her lips.

"I know, I know...we have to set an example and not shame the Fire Lord with our actions! We've all heard the speech. Blah blah duty and responsibility blah."

"It's a serious matter," Suki said.

"And I'm serious about needing to get laid. Don't cock-block me tonight," Rin said, her tone a warning, though there was mischief in her eyes. "I mean, you remember what it was like being horny and carefree, don't you? Back when you were young?"

Suki glared at her. "I'm only a month older than you."

"Well the stick up your butt is about a hundred. Pull it out and have some fun, Sukes!"

Suki sighed. "I'm not trying to be a stick in the mud. I know how to have fun. I just..."

"You're just too in your head about it, girl," Qing said, turning around and walking backward in front of Suki. "We all know what your problem is."

Suki shot a glare at Ty Lee, who grinned at her blandly. "What? I told you it was obvious. We all know."

"Well, it's none of your business. I'm not hung up on Zuko. Okay? I'm not!"

"Yeah, okay," Qing snorted. "So you wouldn't mind if he started dating some other woman?"

Suki's blood ran cold instantly, but she tried not to let the pain in her face show. She had a feeling she failed miserably because Qing's eyebrows lifted.

"Of course not. He's free to do whatever he wants."

"Uh-huh..." Rin intoned, steering her around the corner and into a dimly lit street, the sound of music floating through the air. The street was filled with people milling around. There was an open air cafe with tables strewn around, lamps flickering and illuminating the darkening street. Taverns lined the street, and music poured from their open doors. Laughter and conversation barraged them from all sides. A gust of wind whipped down the narrow street, fluttering awnings and tablecloths and pushing her hair back from her face.

"I'm not talking about this, okay? I'm here to have a good time, remember?"

She looked at her friends in turn, and saw Mei Lin hiding a smile behind her hand. She wondered what was so amusing and nearly asked her, but the thought was lost in a loud blast of music from an open doorway to the tavern they were passing. She winced, and the moment passed.

The Sea Witch was the last tavern on the row, closest to the army barracks near the docks, bricks painted a murky brown, with a wooden sign depicting a fish-tailed hag with wild hair and a stormy sea in the background. Despite the general air of disrepute about it, the inside of the tavern was clean and bright, with polished wooden floors and a gleaming bar the color of warm honey. The bricks were white-washed, and the big ceiling beams were scarred by centuries of woodworms boring through them. Tables were scattered about haphazardly, and a small band was playing something loud and bawdy in the corner.

The place was full of the usual suspects: soldiers, sailors, coolies, and an odd assortment of merchants and locals, most of them young and lively, roaring and laughing around mugs of ale and frothy beer.

Just stepping into the place, Suki felt her spirits lifting a bit. It was the kind of place that demanded you leave your troubles at the door. And she had a lot of troubles at the moment.

She breathed in the scent of old wood and beer and smiled to herself. The girls were right. She had definitely needed a night off. All she wanted was to drink and dance and laugh.

And not think about Zuko.

"There they are!" Rin said, pointing to the girls' usual table in the back of the tavern. She spotted Chao-Ahn and Kikki, sitting facing them. However, there were also two other girls at the table, the backs of their heads far too familiar. Suki's smile faded instantly as Qing tugged her toward the table.

"Thought you guys would never show up," Kikki said, lifting a glass of something that looked fruity and was probably very alcoholic. "Captain, you look sizzling!"

But Suki ignored her. She had dug in her heels as Qing yanked her toward the table, her blood running cold as she saw Tam turn her head to look at her, a grin on her lips. Sitting beside her was Aiko, who was sipping a mug of ale and avoiding her gaze.

"What are you two doing here?" Suki started. "You're supposed to be guarding Zuko!"

"They are," a familiar voice said in Suki's ear. Her eyes popped and she wheeled in place to face the owner, her mouth falling open.

"_Zuko!?_"

"Shhh! I'm undercover!" Zuko said, smiling at her as he lifted a mug of foamy beer to his lips and took a drink. Her gaze flicked across his face and then down to his clothing, her mouth closing with a clink of her teeth.

His hair was down, lying across his shoulder in loose waves, half of it across his face to hide his tell-tale scar. His shirt was sleeveless, dark red and piped in black, belted with a black sash. His pants were black leather, with matching boots that laced to his knees. Her eyes lingered on his muscular arms for a moment, heat crawling into her face.

Then she forced the feeling away, turning on Ty Lee and hissing, "_WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?_"

"Having a beer," Zuko said as Ty Lee shrugged and settled into a chair at the table beside Tam.

"You can't have a beer! You're... Zuko, this isn't safe!"

"Why not? I'm surrounded by all of my bodyguards and no one knows that I'm here. I'm safer in this tavern than I was at Iroh's last month, with just you guarding me. And you seemed to be okay with that."

"That was different. I..." she argued.

"In fact you were okay with a lot of things in Ba Sing Se," Zuko said pointedly.

She hitched in a breath and met his gaze, trying to warn him with just the look in her eyes.

"Relax, Suki," Zuko said, smiling at her softly, his eyes flicking down across her body in appreciation. She felt that heat crawl into her face again, and then settle in her stomach, where everything was warm and glowing all of a sudden. The way he was looking at her did things to her, and she knew that he knew that it did. "Nothing's going to happen."

_If you keep looking at me like that something might,_ Suki thought, trying not to let the heat in his gaze affect her, and failing miserably. He bit his bottom lip and slowly lifted his gaze back to her eyes.

"Zuko..."

But Zuko just smiled and sat down next to Ty Lee, slinging his arm around her with a laugh. Ty Lee grinned up at her and then gestured for her to take a seat. Suki looked at the others for help, but the rest of the girls just gave her knowing looks and went over to the bar to get drinks.

She glared at Ty Lee and sat down across from her and Zuko, hear arms crossing tightly over her chest in disapproval. She was suddenly very sure that she had been set up. She wondered if Zuko had been in on it. She wasn't sure if she was angry, or not. She was certainly conflicted.

But just because Zuko was hanging out with them tonight didn't mean anything. She had hung out with Zuko before. Lots of times. It meant nothing. Just because they'd slept together didn't change that. She could still be friends with him. Hadn't she wanted that most of all?

_No, what I really want is to climb into his lap,_ Suki thought and then tightened her arms, as if that could stop her swirling emotions. _But I can't do that. Because that would be wrong. _

No matter how right it felt in Ba Sing Se.

Qing returned with drinks and shots for all of them, and Suki immediately grabbed a shot off of the tray and slammed it back.

Zuko watched her bang the shot glass down on the table, his eyebrows lifting. Amusement sparkled in his golden eyes. She met his gaze and then grabbed another shot and knocked it back.

"That's the spirit, Suki," Rin said, tipping a shot in her direction and then shooting it as well. Suki made a face as the alcohol burned her throat and settled in her stomach. It helped take the edge off, but she found she couldn't relax.

And she couldn't keep her eyes off of Zuko.

The other Kyoshi Warriors didn't seem to notice how tense she was, or if they did, they were ignoring it. They were laughing and drinking, knocking back shots and looking around the tavern at the men who walked in the door. Zuko and Ty Lee were talking in an undertone on the other side of the table, his arm still around her shoulders.

Suki sat back, watching them talk, a familiar feeling growing in her stomach that she didn't like in the slightest. She realized that it was jealousy and then chided herself. Ty Lee was gay. She had nothing to worry about.

_Not that I care if he's flirting with her. __Or anyone,_ Suki lied to herself, because she knew damn well that she cared far too much. The memory of watching him doing the same thing with the Earth King's cousin back in Ba Sing Se suddenly came to her and she stiffened in her seat.

Zuko had been trying to make her jealous that night by flirting with Lady Daiyu, who had been after more than just his hand in marriage. He'd gotten in over his head with her, but his little show had still worked on her like a red hot poker. She'd been hurt, but she'd also been blinded by jealousy, just as he'd intended.

Was he trying to do the same thing to her right now?

Was that why the girls had secretly brought him along? Was this part of some elaborate plan to get her to throw herself at Zuko's feet?

Well if it was, she wasn't going to play along. No matter how much she wanted to reach across the table, grab Ty Lee by the braid and toss her into a wall.

She sat there for several more minutes, trying to control her expression and failing miserably. She drained her beer and immediately got up to get another one, ignoring whatever Rin called after her. She skirted the dance floor, her emotions in turmoil.

So much for a relaxing night off.

She ordered another beer and waited while the bartender filled the mug from the large barrel behind the bar. As she stood there, she felt someone at her elbow. Expecting one of the girls, she glanced to the side and found herself staring at a strapping young sailor with tattoos and a devil-may-care air about him that would have made Rin's knees knock instantly.

He was looking her up and down, one corner of his lips hitched.

"_Hello__oooo_, beautiful," he said, biting his lip. Suki glanced back at the table, and saw Zuko watching her. An idea instantly formed in her mind, and she turned back to face him, a smile curling her red lips.

"Hey, sailor."

If Zuko wanted to play the jealousy game, then so could she.


	5. Five

**CHAPTER FIVE**

* * *

Zuko scowled as he watched Suki smile at the sailor at the bar, his eyes narrowing instantly. A hot feeling swelled up in his chest like a balloon inflating, choking off his air and making his vision go a little red.

The feeling only got worse when the sailor reached out and brushed Suki's hair back from her face. Suki laughed and cut her eyes in Zuko's direction. Their gazes met for a split second and he saw something in her gaze, something teasing and angry. Then she turned her attention back on the sailor, reaching out and taking his hand.

"Uh-oh," Ty Lee intoned beside him, looking past him and watching Suki at the bar with the sailor. The other Warriors heard her and turned to watch Suki laugh at something the sailor had said.

"Is she doing what I think she's doing?" Qing asked in a flat voice.

"Yep," Aiko said, glancing at Zuko, who had stiffened at the table. He could hear his blood roaring in his ears all of a sudden. "Zuko, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine? She's only flirting with a sailor, I don't care about that," he mumbled, his face growing red.

Ty Lee smiled brightly at him. "Okay, but this is a good thing!"

"How is this a good thing, Ty Lee?" Zuko burst out, slinging his arm off of her shoulder. He gestured to Suki and the sailor. "HE HAS TATTOOS!"

"He's hot as hellfire, too," Rin said, peeping over the back of her chair. "It's not fair! That should be _my_ sailor! He's exactly my type! She's just using him to make you jealous!"

Zuko stopped, staring at Rin and then at Ty Lee, who grinned. "Wait, she is?"

"Duh," Ty Lee said, leaning in to him. "She's flirting with him to drive you crazy."

"Why would she do that? She said she doesn't want me."

"_Please_," Tam shot at him over her shoulder. She had a skeptical look on her pretty face. "She wants you so bad she's about to rip her own clothes off and climb in your lap. She just won't admit it."

"Stubborn idiot," Kikki said, lifting her beer in Suki's direction. Suki was still talking to the sailor, who leaned in to her ear to be heard over the lively music the band was playing. His hand touched Suki's and Zuko's eyes narrowed.

"But why would she try to make me jealous now? It's not like she doesn't know how I feel! I've not been hiding it!"

"Maybe because you're trying to make her jealous too?" Aiko offered. Zuko frowned at her.

"No, I'm not!"

"You had your arm around Ty Lee!"

Zuko tossed Ty Lee a confused look. "What does that have to do with anything? I wasn't trying anything! We're just hanging out!"

Aiko leaned back in her chair and made a face. "_I_ thought you were trying to make her jealous."

Zuko felt his stomach drop. "But I wasn't! It's... No offense, Ty Lee, but it's not like that. You don't even like guys! And I wouldn't use one of my friends that way! Besides, I learned my lesson in Ba Sing Se. I don't want to make her jealous! It always backfires on me."

"Clearly," Rin said bitterly, gesturing to Suki, who glanced their way and then turned back to the sailor. "She's good. I'll give her that. She's good."

"And she's blowing our plans," Ty Lee said, scowling, her nose wrinkling. "This is going to end in violence. I can sense it. Everyone's auras are going crazy."

"What exactly _was_ your plan, Ty Lee? Besides putting me in these tight leather pants?" he said, shifting in his chair with a squelch.

"My plan was to throw the two of you together so you could blow off steam," Ty Lee said. "If sparks ignited, great! Otherwise, I just wanted the two of you to calm down for five minutes and have some fun! Clearly I'm in over my head."

"_That _was your plan?" Zuko exclaimed, staring at her with his mouth open. "I thought you had some brilliant scheme!"

"Clearly, I don't need a brilliant scheme because Suki's doing all the work for us!"

"This is what working looks like to you?"

"Maybe the leather pants aren't tight enough?" Tam offered, and then smiled behind her beer.

"I shouldn't have come," Zuko mumbled, watching Suki glance his way again. The sailor leaned in and slid a hand up and down Suki's arm, then put his slipped his other arm around her waist and yanked her against his chest. Suki looked startled by the sudden movement, catching herself on his arms.

"Zuko," Ty Lee said in a warning voice, one hand on his shoulder, as if that could ever stop him from charging across the tavern and ripping the sailor's hands off.

"He put his hands on her," Zuko growled, feeling his skin growing hot. He could taste fire in his mouth and it wanted to break free. "If she wanted to make me jealous, it's working."

"So go get her," Rin said, as Ty Lee groaned.

He met Rin's eyes and she smirked at him. "I don't think she wants me to."

"Yes, she does," Rin said confidently. "I know Suki. We all do. She wouldn't be doing _that," _Rin gestured to Suki emphatically_, "_if she didn't want you to grab her and kiss her."

"Just kiss her," Zuko mused, remembering his Uncle's advice all too well. Iroh had told him to just kiss Suki. And he had...and it had worked. At least for a minute, before Suki's stubborn refusal to admit that what was between them was real had asserted itself. They had come so close to sleeping together that first day in Ba Sing Se. He still remembered how she had clung to him instantly, melting into his arms. How she'd pulled his shirt off, moaning into his kisses...

It had been everything he'd ever wanted.

And all because he'd worked up the courage and _kissed her._

"She may hit you," Ty Lee warned. "But Rin's not wrong. Suki wants you, Zuko. She just won't admit it."

"I don't know..." Zuko said, glancing back at Suki, only to see the sailor reach down and grab Suki's butt. Rage blasted through him and he stood in an instant, knocking his chair over, his blood roaring in his ears.

"Zuko!" Ty Lee squawked, reaching for him. He shrugged her off.

He was halfway across the room before he knew it, fire blooming around his fist.

* * *

Suki grabbed the sailor's hand and pried it off of her rear end. "Whoa, that's a bit much."

"Wearing a dress like that in a place like this... You're looking for a good time and we both know it," he said, his voice a sizzle that had probably worked a lot of women over the years. He was certainly good-looking, she had to give him that. But he was handsy.

And most importantly, he wasn't Zuko.

"That's a bit presumptuous," she said, growing angry now as he grabbed her ass again.

"Come on, you like it."

"I like _gentlemen_," Suki said primly. "And gentlemen keep their hands to themselves. We were having a nice conversation."

"What's the point of talking? We both know what we're after," he said, reaching around and grabbing her ass again. She went to grab his hand again, but someone else got to him first.

The sailor yelped as Zuko grabbed his hand and yanked it away from her ass. "Don't touch her."

"Zuko!" Suki said, rounding on him. But Zuko was glaring at the sailor, his face red with anger as he twisted the sailor's arm behind him. His other hand was surrounded by flames. "Let go!"

"Who the fuck are _you?_" the sailor shot at Zuko, his own face growing red with pain as he tried and failed to get out of Zuko's iron grip.

"I'm her—" Zuko started and then growled through his teeth, "_friend_."

"He's an _idiot_ is what he is! Zuko, let go!" she reached for Zuko's hand and broke his grip on the sailor's arm. The sailor sagged, pulling his arm to his chest.

"You got a lot of nerve, asshole!" the sailor barked at him.

"You're lucky I don't light you on fire!" Zuko sneered, lifting his fist and displaying the fire burning around his hand. "Put your hands on her again and see what happens."

"Zuko, stop!" Suki said, pushing at his chest and making him back up a step.

"And YOU!" Zuko said, turning his attention on her. His eyes were hurt, even though he still looked just as angry. "If you were trying to make me jealous, good job!"

Suki spluttered, stepping back from him. "Jealous? Why would I do that?"

"Don't pretend you don't know exactly what you were doing, Suki!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she lied, her face red.

"Then let me remind you," Zuko said and then...

Then he was kissing her, his arm around her waist, pulling her against his body. Suki squeaked, her hands on his shoulders for one moment in a feeble attempt to push him away. Then she was lost, the blood rushing in her ears. She felt light-headed, the world spinning around her like a child's toy as his lips claimed hers completely.

It was just as she remembered. The rush, the warmth, the taste of him. The way her body wanted nothing more than to wrap around his... It was bliss, and madness, and joy, and fear all wrapped up in one hot, hard, fierce kiss. All Suki could do was cling to him, kissing him back, unable to stop herself.

All of her arguments, her stubborn pride, all of it floated away on a sea of warmth and desire; a desire she had been trying to deny for far too long. How could she ever have thought that she could get him out of her system by sleeping with him back in Ba Sing Se? That had only made it worse...and all he'd had to do was kiss her to prove it.

He was inside of her, dug in like a knife, and she didn't know if she'd ever get him out. Suki's arms snaked around his neck, and she lifted up, moaning into his mouth. She felt Zuko smile against hers lips, his hand in her hair, kissing her hard, as if proving his point to the both of them.

Zuko pulled back and Suki's eyes fluttered open. She felt dizzy, all of the blood rushing to her head as she stared into Zuko's equally hazy eyes.

"Suki...I..." Zuko started, but was cut off by a fist bashing to the side of his face. Suki gasped as the sailor swung on Zuko again.

"ZUKO!" she shouted, mouth open. Then instincts kicked in and she swung on the sailor, capturing his fist before it could land on Zuko's unprotected face.

"Watch it, girlie! This is between me and the scarred up freak," he sneered, as Zuko righted, blood on the corner of his lip.

"Put your hands on him again and you'll regret it," Suki said coldly. The sailor smirked and reached for her, to shove her off of him. Suki didn't give him the chance. She caught his arm and swept his leg, taking him down to the ground in one swift move. Her knee landed on his back. "What did I say about being a gentleman?"

"Let him up, Suki," Zuko said, wiping at his lip. "I'm okay."

"What are you, his bodyguard?" the sailor squeezed out.

"Exactly," Suki said, taking her weight off of the sailor. She stood and dusted off her hands. The sailor stood, shaking his hair back, his face as red as a beet, just as three men stepped up behind him. They were sailors too.

"Is there a problem here, Shin?" one of the sailors said, cracking his knuckles, his eyes narrowing on Zuko, who took a step forward.

"Yeah, Shin. Is there a problem?" Zuko said, glaring at Shin, the sailor she'd been flirting with. Suki put her arm out, stopping him and pushing him back.

"Zuko, stop!"

"Better listen to your girlfriend," one of Shin's friends growled. "Before we put you in the ground."

"Six feet deep."

"I wouldn't threaten him," Ty Lee said behind Suki. Her eyes flicked to the side and she saw the other Kyoshi Warriors moving in, surrounding the sailors. The sailors frowned and glanced at the women. "If you lay a hand on him again, we'll break it for you."

"Who the hell _are_ you?" Shin asked, looking at the girls and then turning the question on Zuko, who looked like he was ready to throw down with all four sailors at once. Suki pushed him back another step.

"Why don't you boys find another bar to drink in before things get ugly?" Tam said, crossing her arms over her chest, her brow arching.

"Things already got ugly the minute Scar Face showed up," Shin snorted.

"Zuko, it's not worth it," Suki said in an undertone, pushing him back another step. Zuko dug in and glared at Shin.

"You always get little girls to solve your problems for you?" Shin sneered at him.

"I can handle myself. They're just very protective of me," Zuko said. "But if you want to take this outside, I'd be glad to."

"No, you won't!" Suki said hotly.

"Listen to your little bar sl—" Shin started, but that was all he managed to say. Zuko broke Suki's hold on him and lunged for Shin, his fist flying.

After that, everything was chaos.


	6. Six

**CHAPTER SIX**

* * *

Suki ducked a fist that sailed her way, grabbing the arm it belonged to and spinning into the sailor's chest with a jab of her elbow. She knocked the sailor back a step and then grabbed Zuko by the back of his vest, yanking him back just as a bottle flew through the air where his face had been moments before.

The Sea Witch had erupted into a melee the minute Zuko had taken a swing at Shin. Most of the fighters—the regulars, the coolies, and the sailors—looked downright gleeful as they swung at anything that moved.

She saw Tam narrowly avoid getting a chair to the face, going down on one knee and sliding beneath the chair. She rabbit-punched the coolie who had slammed it down in the crotch, making him bend over double, clutching himself.

The other Warriors were attempting to keep the peace. She saw Ty Lee chi-blocking several assailants at once, screaming, "EVERYONE CALM DOWN!"

But her exasperated shout was lost in the din. Even the musicians had joined in, laughing and swinging at anything that came too near them.

Suki tried to drag Zuko away from Shin again, but Shin, bleeding from a bloody nose, had a grip on the front of Zuko's shirt. The two men grappled with each other, snarling epithets she didn't even know Zuko_ knew._

"Zuko, stop!" Suki said, grabbing his arm and yanking him back.

"Listen to your girlfriend, freak!" Shin sneered through bloody teeth. "She's nothing but a slu-"

Suki didn't let the sailor finish, ducking beneath Zuko's arm and delivering a solid uppercut to his jaw. The blow knocked him back against the scarred bar top and sent him sprawling to the beer-splashed floor, out cold in an instant.

Zuko wheeled on her, blood on his own lip from a punch he'd taken. "Why did you do that? I could have taken him!"

"YOU IDIOT!" she said, pushing him in the chest and knocking him back. "What were you thinking?"

"Did you hear what he called you?" Zuko exclaimed over the noisy brawl going on around them. Zuko kicked Shin's leg with the tip of his boot.

"Of course, I did! But you didn't have to fight him!"

"You're the one who started it!" he shouted, just as a shrill whistle sounded from the doorway. Suki turned on the sound and saw one of the city watchmen in the doorway, two fingers jammed into his mouth.

"ALL RIGHT! BREAK IT UP!" the watchman shouted. "OR I'LL ARREST EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!"

Suki's stomach dropped to her toes. The last thing she needed was for the city watch to arrest the Fire Lord and his bodyguards for starting a fight in a tavern.

"Shit," Suki cursed, reaching out and grabbing Rin's hand as she passed. Rin was bleeding from the nose, laughing, a beer in hers hands. "GET THE GIRLS! WE NEED TO LEAVE! NOW!"

"But we're having so much fun!" Rin said, taking a swig of beer. Suki knocked the drink out of her hand, and it went flying, splashing into the crowd in a foamy wave. "My beer!"

"NOW!"

Rin shot her a dirty, and not entirely sober, look and then obeyed. She grabbed Qing, who was the closest to her, and pointed to the door. Suki turned on Zuko, who was glowering at her. She grabbed his hand and yanked him toward the exit.

The watchman had already waded into the melee, grabbing people by the scruff of the neck and breaking up fights. More watchmen had followed him, and she saw them slap handcuffs on two of the sailors.

The mob seemed to realize that the authorities were among them at once, and with a rising swell, there was a sudden stampede for the door. Suki and Zuko were nearly knocked apart, but Zuko grabbed hold of her waist.

Together they fought their way to the door, jostled by elbows and knocked back by shoulders. She completely lost the other Kyoshi Warriors in the crowd, and hoped against hope that they got out of the tavern without getting arrested.

If any of them were arrested...she couldn't even imagine the vicious gossip that would go around about that. It was her worst nightmare come true...

The minute they hit the street, a blast of wind caught Suki in the face, followed by a flash of lightning and a hard clap of thunder that rattled the panes of glass in the windows around them, and echoed through Suki's chest. She gasped in surprise, her hair in her face, her feet stopping for a split second too long. Then someone shoved Zuko into her and they spilled into the street.

"Suki!" Zuko caught her before she could tumble to the street. She looked up through her wind-torn hair as another flash of lightning illuminated the street. Behind them people were streaming out of the tavern and there were more watchmen arriving. She saw one of the watchmen grab hold of a coolie, slamming him to the ground.

The storm she had seen in the distance earlier that night had clearly blown in and judging by the wind and the lightning, it was going to be a bad one. Great. Just what they needed.

"Where are the girls?" she shouted over the thunder, but Zuko shook his head.

Suki made a decision, grabbing hold of Zuko's hand again and yanking him down the street. "We have to go! You can't get arrested!"

"I'll just tell them I'm the Fire Lord!" he protested, but she shook her head.

"Would they even believe you?"

Zuko glanced down at his leather pants and then up at her. "Good point. What about the girls?"

"They're on their own!" Suki said, even as a watchman shouted after them.

"HEY! STOP!"

"Come on!" Suki said, yanking Zuko again. They tore off down the street, as thunder boomed overhead. The wind blasted them in the back. The air tasted of ozone, heavy and coppery. She didn't dare look back to see if the watchman had followed them. They ran down several streets, taking turns at a skid. She didn't really know where she was going, just that she had to get as far away from the tavern as possible. The lightning chased them the whole way, the thunder growling above them like a ravening beast as they took side streets whipped by the winds, long shadows collecting and spreading like ink as the storm clouds bubbled above them.

Finally, they skidded into an alley and Suki turned on Zuko, shoving him in the shoulder.

"What were you thinking?" Suki shouted at him. "We could have been arrested!"

"You were flirting with him!"

"You started it!" Suki shouted over the howling wind.

"Excuse me? I wasn't the one hanging all over some brain dead sailor—"

"So you _were _jealous!" she shouted, jabbing him in the chest.

"OF COURSE I WAS!" Zuko said, clawing his hair out of his face. "I was ready to kill that guy for touching you!"

"You don't get to decide who touches me and who doesn't!" she hissed as a boom thunder rattled the street apart around them.

"You were trying to hurt me!" Zuko said, stepping closer, his eyes shining in the flashes of lightning lighting up the sky.

"And you were trying to hurt _me_, hanging all over Ty Lee just like you did Daiyu!" she said, shoving him back a step.

"WHAT?" he spluttered, throwing up his hands. "Ty Lee's my friend! I wasn't trying anything! She's into girls, Suki! We were just hanging out! You're the one reading into it!"

"Reading into it? You may as well have made out!"

"Oh, like you and that sailor? Face it, Sukes, you tried to make me jealous and got jealous yourself!"

But she ignored him, hating that it was completely the truth. "I'm _not_ jealous! And why would I try to make you jealous?!"

"The same reason I punched that asshole in the face for putting his hands all over you!" he replied. "The same reason you practically climbed me when I kissed you! Because we have feelings for each other, Suki!"

"I... Just because we slept together..." she started, her face turning bright red. "That doesn't mean... _You_ kissed _me!_ I didn't... It was a mistake!"

But she could still feel his lips on hers. The heat of it spread through her and she bit her lip, afraid her mouth would betray her again.

"No, it wasn't! And you damned well know it, Suki! I don't regret kissing you just now, and I certainly don't regret making love to you that night and I never will. It meant something to me, and I know it meant something to you too, otherwise you wouldn't be trying to so hard to pretend it never happened!"

"Maybe I don't have the same feelings as you do?" she said, wrapping her arms around her middle.

"Maybe," he conceded, stepping close to her as the smell of ozone spread through the air with a sharp tang. He stared into her eyes. "If nothing else, I know you're more scared of this than I am."

"I'm not scared," she said stubbornly. He smiled a little and leaned in.

"Yes, you are," he said softly. "If you had any idea the way I really felt about you, you'd be terrified. Do you know how hard it is not to tell you, Suki? Every damned time I look into your eyes, I get lost. The more I look the more I _want_ to be lost."

Suki grabbed his wrist as he lifted his hand to her face, brushing her windblown hair back from her pale face. Her hands were trembling. "What are you trying to say?"

"Isn't it obvious, Suki? I'm in love with you," Zuko said, exasperated.

With another thunderous crack and a sizzling flash of lightning, the heavens finally unleashed on them. The cold rain pounded the rooftops with a loud rattle, drenching them as the wind carried the fat drops in sideways. Rain poured down Suki's face as she stared at Zuko in the darkened alley.

He only had eyes for her, his dark hair plastered to his skull, rain dripping off of his lips and running the gamut of his scar.

It took her a few breathless moments, as the rain slammed her, to fully comprehend what she'd heard.

"What?" she practically shouted over the pounding rain.

"You heard me!" Zuko responded, shaking his head and reaching up to push his hair back. "I'm in love with you!"

"Zuko..."

But Zuko shook his head again, rain running down his face. "You don't have to say anything! You don't have to feel the same way! I get it! If you tell me to back off, I will! You don't owe me anything, Suki! You never will! I just wanted to tell you how I felt! I just want you to know this is about more than sex, all right? I'm not trying to sleep with you again! Well...not _just _trying to sleep with you, again!" he shouted over the pounding rain, laughing a little. "I'm... I'm not saying this right!"

She started to say something—she wasn't sure what—when a bright flash of lightning tore the street apart, close enough that the hair on the back of her wet neck stood up. She jumped and practically climbed into Zuko's arms, though she hadn't meant to run to him.

He pulled her close, and turned them both into the wall at his back in an attempt to shield her from the rain, which didn't work. The storm was gaining strength, with a wind that howled down the alley, knocking down garbage cans and sending bottles rattling across the cobblestones. It whipped her wet hair across her face as she wrapped her hands up in Zuko's soaked vest, her face scrunched as riotous thunder came hot and hard on the heels of the lightning strike.

She could feel the thunder in her bones, hard and deep like an earthquake. As the thunder faded and more lightning forked across the sky, she looked up into Zuko's wild eyes.

"We have to get out of this storm!" she said, pushing aside the conversation for now, though they both knew things were far from over. She needed a moment to think. To process. To breathe, and she wasn't going to get it in the middle of a howling gale.

"You're right," Zuko shouted, nodding. "We're never going to make it back up to the Caldera, but I know a place nearby."

"Okay, lead the way," Suki said, shivers running over her as her soaked clothing clung to her skin. Shivers were starting to take hold of her. The sandals Ty Lee had picked out were basically useless in the deluge, and her feet were growing numb and cold as the rain puddled on the cobbles, and splashed up their legs.

She was also very aware of how see-through her dress was, as it clung to every inch of her skin. There wasn't much left to the imagination, her nipples hard and showing through the thin fabric.

Zuko nodded and grabbed her hand. She didn't stop him, but clung to his cold fingers as he glanced left and right down the alley and then tugged her toward the left. The wind whipped at them, tossing painful, stinging rain into their eyes, making it hard to see.

Zuko seemed to know where he was going, though, as he lead her through the empty, darkened streets of the city. Lightning battered the rooftops around them, making her jump, and making Zuko curse and hurry toward his destination.

As they rounded a corner, a gust of wind came screeching down the narrow streets, blowing over a cart of lumber left parked alongside a building. The planks of wood went airborne, coming at them in a blinding rush.

Suki tackled Zuko from behind, bearing him down to the ground in a deep, muddy puddle as the wood tumbled past them. One plank clipped her on the shoulder as it passed, ripping her dress. She squawked with pain, as Zuko lifted his head out of the puddle.

"SUKI!"

"That was close!"

"Are you hurt?"

"No! We need to get out of this!" she said, glancing around as the wooden planks clattered down the street. The wind was picking up—if that was even possible—and it was carrying debris. Leaves, sticks, shingles from rooftops, and a lot of trash.

She lurched to her feet, and was nearly swept backward by the force of the wind. Zuko's arm around her waist kept her upright, however, and together they battled against the elements toward another alley, which provided a little bit more shelter than the street had.

They darted across two more streets before Zuko seemed to find what he'd been looking for. He pointed wordlessly at a small, squat building that looked somewhat familiar. Lightning tore at the world again, as Zuko pulled her to the building. There was a small stoop, with a slight overhang that provided very little shelter from the rain, but they huddled there together as Zuko fiddled with the latch on the door.

It didn't take him long before the door swung open, aided by a gust of wind at their backs. They stumbled into the darkened building, the wind chasing them inside and making the door bang against the wall.

They grasped the door together and dug in, pushing it shut against the force of the storm. Suki put her weight on the door, breathing hard, her hair in her face as Zuko closed the latch. Even inside the building, the rain was deafening. A clap of thunder rattled the wood at her back as Zuko put his hands on the door and let his head hang, hair dripping and hanging in limp black tendrils across his face.

"Zuko..." she started, his gaze flicking to her. She was moving before she knew what she was doing, reaching out and grasping him by the shirt. He stumbled on the rain-soaked floor, but the space between them was closed easily enough, as she practically yanked him to her.

He didn't seem surprised when she kissed him.


	7. Seven

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

* * *

She wasn't thinking. Wasn't planning anything. There wasn't a thought in her head, except the echo of his words playing on repeat in her mind.

Zuko didn't seem surprised, and he kissed her back eagerly, his lips cold and wet, but his breath warm against her mouth. He smiled against her lips and angled his head, deepening the kiss until she was breathless, her heart humming in her throat. His tongue flitted against hers and the soft, hot feel of it made her whole body tighten with the need she'd been trying to ignore for far too long.

A shiver came up her body, making her shoulders shake. Zuko pulled back as her teeth chattered, half-from the cold and half from the adrenaline of his kiss and their run through the storm. He stared into her eyes in the gloom, and seemed to see something there. A soft smile touched his mouth and he leaned forward, kissing her forehead gently.

"You're freezing cold," he said against her forehead, his hands rubbing her shoulders. "Come on, let's get warmed up..."

She could only find the strength to nod, and let him take her hand. He kissed her knuckles and then pushed himself away from the door, pulling her along with him. She went almost too willingly. Her heart was pounding...but her mind was suddenly, miraculously was clear.

All of her confusion and stubborn thoughts and arguments...they all seemed very far away all of a sudden.

Fire ignited over Zuko's other hand, illuminating a plain and mostly empty room, which had the look and feel of a place well-cared for, if old and worn. There was a large stone fireplace along one wall, a few wooden chairs that looked more utilitarian than comfortable, a cupboard, and a broom leaning in the corner. There weren't any cobwebs or dust, however, telling her that the place hadn't been empty for long.

The place was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place from where.

"Where are we?"

"An old soldier's barracks," Zuko said between rumbles of thunder. "Since the war ended, our housing needs for the military have gone way down. This one was the smallest and oldest of the barracks, so I closed it. I toured it about six months ago. I'm lucky I even remembered it."

Suki nodded, realizing now why it was so familiar. She'd toured it with Zuko herself, back when it was full of soldiers and furniture. She had been so focused on Zuko and watching for any threats that might put him in danger, she hadn't paid much attention to the building itself.

She spied the door leading to what would have been a bunk room for thirty soldiers, and a small kitchen area that had been completely cleared. There wasn't much left of the place, which had once held a lot of life and activity. Now it was just full of shadows, echoes...and the two of them.

"There's some wood by the fireplace. I'll start a fire, okay?" Zuko said gently, squeezing her hand before letting go. He left her in the middle of the room, walking over to the hearth and squatting down in front of it. She watched as he piled up the wood and pulled the chain to open the flue.

Shivers coursed over her as she wrapped her arms around herself, watching him with an increasing certainty that she was going to do something. Something she _shouldn't_ do. Something she _wanted_ to do. Something that made her body ache, and her heart race.

She had felt like this before, on that long night in Ba Sing Se, when her heart had overridden her good sense, and lust had betrayed her body. There had never even been a battle; she had fallen into his arms that night as easily as Zuko had just conjured flames in his hands.

Water pooled on the scratched wooden floor beneath her feet. The wind was still battering the low building, thunder booming at loud, jarring intervals. The windows were shuttered, but she could see flashes of lightning penetrating the cracks in the shutters. The rain was a steady, background tap-tap-tap on the roof.

Despite the large, empty room, she felt closed in. Not trapped, but like she had been wrapped in a welcoming pair of arms that wanted to hold her tightly, if she let it. She wanted to let it.

Zuko's fire caught on the old, dried wooden logs after just a couple of minutes, and a cheery fire bloomed up within the old, soot-grimed hearth. Zuko watched it for a moment, and then stood, turning back around to face her.

Orange light and dark shadows danced across his face as their gazes met for a long, tense moment. Then a shiver caught her again, and she felt her jaw tighten, water dripping down her face and into her eyes.

"Come here," Zuko said, holding out his hand. She bit down on her lip and came toward him, feeling the warmth of the fire as she did. She shivered in her wet clothes as Zuko took her hand and positioned her in front of the fire. "You need to warm up."

"So do you."

There was a flash of amusement on his lips as he touched her waist briefly and then slid away. "I'm a Firebender. Takes more than getting drenched to the skin to cool me off."

She watched as he looked around the room, spotted the chairs and then retrieved them. He put them down in front of the fire and gestured for her to sit. Before she did, he started to walk away again. She reached out and grasped his hand, stopping him.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to look for a blanket or something to wrap you up in," he said and kissed her forehead again. Then he slipped away, before she could say or do anything else. She didn't sit on the chair, but instead watched him go through the cupboard, which proved to be empty, and then, with a nod at her, he slipped into the bunk room.

Suki turned back toward the fire, a shiver running up her spine. Her dress clung to her like wet tissue paper. She took an unsteady breath and then slipped her numb feet out of her squishy sandals, which she placed in front of the fire to dry.

With shaking hands and cold, thick fingers, she slipped out of the rest of her dress, draping it over the chair with careful, precise movements. She was trying not to panic. It wasn't easy, especially when her panties proved to be just as soaked through as her dress. So she slipped out of her them too, leaving her wet body exposed to the cold air.

Another shiver ran up her spine, just as she heard footsteps behind her, which faltered and stopped.

She turned to face Zuko and found him staring at her, his arms filled with woolen blankets dyed Fire Nation red. Even from across the room, she could see the desire in his eyes, the fire burning beneath the surface as his gaze flicked across her face, down her body, and then back up. He took a ragged breath and then licked rainwater from his lips.

"I..."

"My dress...it's soaked... I... I took it off to dry..." she said unnecessarily, twisting her hands together across her stomach. Droplets of water cascaded down her skin, glistening in the firelight as the cold air, and the desire in his eyes made her stomach muscles tighten.

"Right," Zuko breathed and walked slowly toward her, as if she might bolt. She supposed he'd learned the hard way that she might, given everything that had happened between them. But she wasn't running. Not anymore.

Not a thought was running through her head. Not a single argument surfacing.

She was so _tired_ of pretending.

Zuko gently put down his stack of blankets on the other chair he'd put down in front of the fire, grabbing the top one and flipping it open. He stepped close to her—close enough to kiss her—and carefully pulled the blanket around her naked body.

He gathered the blanket at her shoulders, pulling it closed to hide her nakedness. She reached through the gap in the blanket and took his hand. She found that he was trembling too, and when she touched him, he let out a shaking huff that was half-laugh, half-nervous desire.

She reached up and touched his face. "Did that sailor hurt you?"

"I'll survive."

"You won't if you don't get out of those wet things," Suki said as the fire popped and crackled and Zuko's gaze practically warmed her from her toes to her ears. She smiled a little. "You'll catch your death, Firebender or not."

"Are you sure?"

The question was so loaded it may as well have shot holes through her. Even after the kiss at the door, even after she had taken off her clothes, he wasn't pushing her. He didn't want to push her. He was putting what might happen in her hands, just as he had in Ba Sing Se.

She was tired of not taking what she wanted with both hands. She was tired of denying herself.

"I've never been more sure of anything, Zuko."

Zuko bent over her, his long, dark hair dripping at their feet as he kissed her fingers one by one, gently, with care. Like he might scare her off. Each touch of his warm mouth made little sparkles dance up nerves. She wasn't breathing hard, but she felt like she wasn't breathing enough all of a sudden. Her head buzzed as Zuko lifted his mouth and leaned in, pressing a kiss to her cheek, right beneath her right eye.

Then he backed up a step and quickly undid the belt on his outer vest, and pulled the garment off. He tossed it onto the back of the second chair before the fire, and then slowly pulled his clinging undershirt off.

She'd seen him without his shirt on a million times. Had had his muscled chest against her skin so many times. Had tried not to notice each beautiful muscle, and the hair that threaded down from his navel to the waist of his pants. She had tried so hard not touch him, even when they sparred, because that was Forbidden. Even looking was Forbidden.

But oh, how she had looked that night in Ba Sing Se. How she had touched him. Tasted him. Given in to the Forbidden... And how she had longed to do it again. Her desire had been writhing inside of her since that night. She wanted more. Wanted all of it. Wanted him.

There was nothing stopping her now. The firelight was kind and warm on his skin, and she feasted her eyes on every inch of him. She wanted to bury her face against his chest, to feel his arms wrap around her and hold her like the storm was holding them inside.

The need in her was hot, hard, clenching and undeniable. And she knew it showed on her face, because Zuko caught her gaze and there was a mad sparkle in his eyes as he kicked off his boots and then undid the laces on his leather pants.

His pants drooped on his hips. The taut skin of his belly glistened with raindrops, the cut of his muscles filled with inviting shadows. The hair that she was dying to run her fingers through was like a patch of darkness promising dark and dirty things...thing she knew from experience he was capable of fulfilling.

Her desire spiked and sizzled, her throat closing on the emotion as Zuko hesitated, grimacing.

"Um..."

"What's wrong?"

He cleared his throat, and she could see color rising in his cheeks. "It's pretty cold... Things aren't...uh... Very...uh...impressive, right now."

Understanding dawned on her and she had to put her hand over her mouth to hide her smile, but that couldn't stop the nervous giggle that bubbled out of her throat.

"Don't laugh!" he said tightly, his mouth twisting.

"I'm not laughing," she laughed. "It's just..."

"Just what?" Zuko said, dropping his gaze, his wet curtain of hair falling forward. She reached up and pushed it back and he looked up at her again. Her eyes searched his for a long moment.

"I love you, Zuko."


	8. Eight

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

* * *

Zuko's eyes widened as what she'd said dawned on them both. She went very still as she bit down on the inside of her bottom lip, as if that could stop the words that had already come out of her. She hadn't meant to say them, despite feeling it in every inch of her soul.

"What?" Zuko said, going just as still as she. Outside, thunder grumbled like a prowling beast.

Suki took a breath and twisted her hands in front of her and said very quietly, "You heard me."

"Oh, I know I heard it, but I don't believe it."

"It's true." Zuko's eyes glowed in the light of the fire, a smile playing on the corners of his lips as she stared at him. "So say something."

"Suki, you can't tell me you're in love with me and then take it back again."

"I'm not going to take it back. I love you."

Zuko took a breath and then smiled softly, reaching out and taking her hand in his own. He laced their fingers and looking down at their entwined hands. "You don't know how much I've wanted to hear you say that. I've wanted to tell you how I felt since way before Ba Sing Se, but every time I tried, you shut me down. You can't take this back now, Suki. I could barely pretend that I wasn't dying of want for you before tonight, but I was _trying_ because you shut me out and I didn't want to push you. I can't pretend now. Please don't ask me to pretend anymore. Please don't take it back."

He looked up and met her gaze and she felt guilt stir through her. All of the pain and want she had been hiding, holding back, trying to pretend didn't exist swelled in her heart and threatened to overwhelm her. She felt tears in her eyes.

"I didn't mean to hurt you."

Zuko lifted his other hand, cupping her face, his thumb wiping at the tear rolling down slowly down her cheek. "I know. I was never angry with you."

"I had my reasons."

"You told me. And I told you I didn't agree with them. I don't care about them, Suki. Any of it. All I want is you."

"It's not that simple," she said, trying to make him understand.

"Then let's make it simple. Let's talk it out. You have your reasons why this can't work. So hit me with them," he said, smiling softly at her. "There's nothing you can say that will make me believe we don't belong together."

"I'm your bodyguard, Zuko," she started.

"Who better to protect me than the woman I love and trust more than anyone else in the world? If you're in my bed every night, not a single assassin will get near enough to me to matter."

"It's improper. I'm a servant."

"No, you're not. You're a Kyoshi Warrior. You don't work under me, you work alongside me. You're a trusted friend, protector, and adviser. I owe you my life, and what's more dating you would be like dating one of my Council. In my eyes we're equals."

"We're not. You're the Fire Lord."

"And as Fire Lord I get to decide who is my equal. You are. End of story."

"Zuko..."

"What else, Suki?" he asked firmly, making her squeeze her eyes shut tight.

"I'm a commoner. And I'm from the Earth Kingdom."

"Mai was a commoner, and I dated her."

"Mai was not."

"She was. Granted, her father was a politician, but he worked his way up into the job. He was a commoner. She had no royal blood to speak of. She only attended the Royal Fire Academy with Azula because her family had money. No one in the Fire Nation batted an eye when I dated her. It didn't matter. Not to anyone who counted, and certainly not to me. I feel the same way about you."

"But I'm Earth Kingdom."

"And my best friend is an Air Nomad. My sister, the crown princess of the Fire Nation, is dating your ex, who is from the Southern Water Tribe and while he's the son of the chief, he's not exactly royalty. It doesn't matter. Where you're from doesn't matter, Suki. What else?"

Suki took a trembling breath and closed her eyes again, pain in her chest.

"What if you have to marry someone else? For political purposes? Someone like Lady Daiyu?"

Zuko tipped her chin up and she opened her eyes. He fixed her in his serious stare, his golden eyes searching hers.

"I keep that option open for appearances only, and while I'm single it remains an option in theory, but one I will never entertain seriously. There is no one else in any of the three Nations I would ever consider marrying. Not for political reasons, not even to stave off another war. I refuse to live the life my mother and father lived, married off to someone neither of them loved, all for political gain. I want the real thing. I won't settle for anything else. If I ever marry, it will only be for love, Suki. That would be true even if I never fell in love with you, or even if after all this, you reject me. What else?"

"But what if you have to?"

"Who is going to make me?" he said, amusement in his voice. "I'm the Fire Lord, remember?"

"The girls will think I'm a hypocrite."

Zuko smiled. "The girls orchestrated our little night off. They're desperate to hook us up. They don't care about anything but the two of us being happy together. And maybe you getting off of their backs a little."

Suki laughed a little, biting her lip. "I've been miserable since we got back from Ba Sing Se. I think I've been taking it out on them. They think I have a stick up my butt."

"Did you try pulling it out? That might help."

Suki laughed and smacked his arm. "Shut up! You're as bad as Ty Lee. When did you become the fun one and when did I become the dour one?"

"When you decided that I couldn't love you for some stupid reason," he said warmly.

"And you do love me," she whispered, searching his face. "Like I love you."

"With all of my heart. I want to be with you. I want to stop pretending this thing between us was just a one-night stand."

Her face crumpled. "I lied to you in Ba Sing Se. I was so scared...I really thought I could just sleep with you and get you out of my system, but it made it so much worse! Everything I was feeling...all of it...no matter how I tried I couldn't stop how I felt about you."

"Not your smartest move. And believe me it wasn't easy on my end, either."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Zuko said, lifting her hand to his lips. He kissed the backs of her knuckles and cradled her hand against his cheek. "You're here now, and you're being honest. That's all I've ever wanted."

"So what does this mean?"

Zuko smiled again, the expression soft and warm in the firelight. "I think it means we're in love. And I don't intend to let you go again."

Her heart squeezed tightly as Zuko searched her face. She clutched the blanket to her shoulders and bit her lip. "Zuko..."

Zuko leaned in to her ear, his breath warm on her wet neck. "Ask me to kiss you."

Shivers coursed down her skin instantly. She took a ragged breath and turned her head a little, her cheek brushing his. "Please kiss me, Zuko."

Zuko tipped her chin up again and kissed her, slowly, sensually. He was in no hurry, the kiss rolling from one to another, until she was dizzy again, kissing him back with her heart in her throat. Zuko's hands were gentle on her shoulders, rubbing at her through the blanket, trying to warm her.

Her hand spread on his chest, feeling the warmth of him, the electric heat that chased her nerves, sending goosebumps and thrills through her. He deepened the kiss, his tongue against hers, slowly flicking in that unhurried way of his.

She stepped closer and Zuko hummed in his throat, pulling her against his chest, one hand slipping beneath the blanket and cupping her waist. Suki let her hand trail along his chest and down his stomach. When she slipped her fingers into the front of his pants, Zuko groaned, pulling back just enough to let her pull in another ragged breath.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he whispered, even as her fingers encircled him, stroking gently, feeling him swelling in her fingers.

"It's all I've wanted since Ba Sing Se," she replied, nipping his bottom lip. "Make love to me, Zuko."

"If I do, you're mine. No more one-night stands. You're mine, Suki. And I'm yours."

His gaze burned on hers, the intensity of his passion evident in his golden eyes. She bit her lip and then smiled softly, letting go of all of her fears at once. She knew what she wanted. She had always wanted it. And now she knew how he felt.

She had known that he cared for her, that he was attracted to her, even before Ba Sing Se. What she hadn't known was that he was in love with her. Had been in love with her this whole time. He felt the same way she did.

And somehow, knowing that, made all of her old arguments crumple to the ground at her feet. She wasn't going to pretend any longer. She loved him. He loved her.

Suki took a breath and then whispered, "Then I'm yours, Zuko."

Zuko slammed a hot, hard kiss to her mouth, pulling her body flush with his, his hand cradling her beneath the blanket, his other hand tight in her wet hair. Suki kissed him back, groaning as she stroked him through the open fly of his indecently tight leather pants.

When Zuko pulled back a few minutes later, they were both breathing hard. He pulled the blanket off of her shoulders, leaving her naked before him again. This time she didn't feel the chill in the air. Whether that was because of the fire burning in the fireplace, or the fire burning between them, she didn't know nor care.

He laid the blanket on the floor before the hearth and then grasped the edges of his pants. She tried not to laugh when he struggled to peel them off.

"Who picked those out?"

"Tam," he grunted, finally sitting down in one of the chairs she had draped their wet clothing over, and yanking one leg off of over his foot.

"I should have known," she laughed, helping him with the other leg. "She dressed you to seduce me."

"Who picked out that dress you were wearing?"

"Ty Lee."

"I'll have to thank her for that," Zuko said, standing and pulling her toward him. His hands cupped her ass, making her smile as she looped her arms around his neck, her fingers playing in his damp hair. "That dress is a work of art."

"I could put it back on if you prefer?"

"Absolutely not," he said and kissed her again. Suki laughed against his lips, feeling her spirits soaring for the first time in months. When Zuko picked her up and then sank down to his knees on the blanket, all she could do was cling to him.

He kissed her, his mouth everywhere, his breath warm and caressing on her sensitive skin. He chased goosebumps up and down her arms, her stomach, her thighs. He bit into the soft of her flesh, marking her until she writhed beneath him, her hands in his hair.

Like his kisses earlier, he seemed in no hurry. He wanted to savor her...torture her...

She supposed she deserved it, after everything. But what a sweet torture it was, his fingers slipping gently into her body, caressing, pulling out pleasure as his mouth slowly sank between her legs. Suki's eyes went back in her head as she arched on the blankets beneath him, something in her tumbling, breaking down completely...

He took her to the brink, slowly, patiently, his tongue gently lapping at her as his fingers slowly circled against her g-spot. Her leg shook as she clutched desperately at his hair, her hips rising and crashing in little waves, until she couldn't take it anymore.

She broke against his tongue with a wild cry, her thighs tightening on his head. He pushed her apart and she felt his tongue lapping at her, the soft sound of his pleasure at her climax like a deep vibration through her throbbing flesh.

Suki grasped him and pulled him forward, up across her body, her thighs clamping onto his hips. Zuko kissed her again. She tasted herself on his tongue and moaned, lifting her hips, desperate for more.

He didn't disappoint her, entering her with a smooth glide, his hips rolling gently against hers, opening her up to him as he kissed her. She broke the kiss and breathed against his mouth. Zuko looked down at her, taking her in those same gentle, unhurried strokes. His dark hair was tangled across one shoulder, hanging down around their faces.

His mouth opened and he bit his lip, watching the pleasure on her face as he slowly made love to her. Suki's thighs tightened on his hips and she moved into him, taking him as he took her. She loved his weight on top of her, pinning her there as if she might run away again.

But she didn't want to be anywhere else. Every stupid argument she had ever concocted to keep her heart safe faded in the firelight. There was just him and her, and this thing between them. It was real and she wasn't running from it anymore.

"I love you," Zuko whispered against her lips, kissing her again and again, until she was breathless, her hips rising into his, pleasure swelling in her again, expanding like the storm still battering the windows.

"Zuko..." she gasped, her head digging into the blankets, her body bowing again. Zuko's slow roll turned into a hard thrust, taking her to the hilt. She was immediately lost, a woman made of fire and flame, her nails digging into him, holding him there against her as he took her over the edge.

She shivered, gasping, her body aching with pleasure as an orgasm spun through her. She felt Zuko come moments after she did, his mouth crashing to hers, swallowing the sounds of her pleasure. He kissed her until she was aching for air, his hips tight against hers, still throbbing and hard inside of her, despite everything.

He pulled back and stared at her in the firelight, his scar thrown into stark relief by the orange flames. His eyes were happy as he bit his bottom lip and smoothed her hair back from her face.

"Say it again," he whispered, stroking her cheek.

"I love you, Zuko," she answered and pulled him down for another kiss, her body lifting into his, taking him again. He groaned and kissed her, then rolled them both to the side. Suki laughed and straddled him, sinking down onto his length as she spread her hands on his chest.

She looked down at him as she made love to him, smiling as Zuko watched her with that same burn in his eyes that had been scorching her for months. She had no idea how she had resisted him for so long, not when he looked at her like that.

When they were both close, Zuko sat up, gathering her up in his arms and slamming another wild kiss to her lips, her hips rocking back and forth against his. It was too much, the pleasure biting down on her as she tipped her head back, losing herself in him, in a deep orgasm that left her trembling in his arms.

He was trembling too, spent, sweat pouring down his muscular back as she stroked his shoulders. He kissed her throat, his breathing flagged, his hands spreading on her back, caressing her gently.

Suki tipped her head down and kissed him between the eyes, then pulled back. All she could do was stare into his eyes, shivers racing through her.

"I don't know about you, but I really needed a night off," she said. Zuko laughed and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Me too. Remind me to thank the girls," he said, and the glanced at the window. "I think the storm is moving off."

The wind had died down a little, but she could still hear rain tickling the dirty windows. The faintest flashes of light flickered distantly. The thunder was a far off growl.

"I hope they didn't get arrested. Or caught in the storm."

"I'm sure they're fine. And if not, I'll handle it in the morning," Zuko said. "I'm in no hurry to leave this place, storm or no storm."

"Do you think this was their plan all along?"

Zuko shrugged as he sank back down onto his back, pulling her with him. She lifted off of him, but stayed draped across his chest. He stroked her back tiredly.

"I think they just wanted us to have a little fun. They definitely couldn't plan on us getting into a bar fight, or the watchmen showing up. Or the storm. Or us running here."

"Maybe they knew all we needed was a kick in the butt," she said, and lifted her head. Zuko arched his eyebrow at her. "Okay, all_ I_ needed."

"We should give them the night off more often then..." he said smoothly, biting his bottom lip. "It'll give us plenty of alone time."

"But what will we do with all that time?" she laughed. Zuko cupped her face and pulled her up, kissing her lips smoothly.

"I can think of lots of things," he said and kissed her again. That kiss rolled into another and then another. It was a very long night.


	9. Nine

**CHAPTER NINE**

* * *

"I checked every gaol in town, including the army brig! They weren't arrested last night!" Qing said, picking her way through a puddle in the middle of the muddy roadway as she made her way over to Ty Lee, who saddling up a rhino lizard, her stomach in knots.

"What if one of those sailors got a hold of them?" she said, her voice tight with anxiety.

"All of them got arrested," Qing said, shaking her head. "I saw them myself."

"Then they have to be at the hospital," Ty Lee said, hopping up into the rhino lizard's saddle and holding out a hand to Qing, who took it. She hoisted the other Kyoshi Warrior up behind her and waited for her to settle into the saddle.

"Do you think they were injured?"

"Who knows? There was the fight in the tavern, and then the storm..." Ty Lee squeezed out, her anxiety peaking as she thought about all of the terrible things that could have befallen the Fire Lord and her Captain.

This had not been what she'd planned at all.

"Yeah, that storm was no joke. There are trees and debris everywhere," Qing said, holding onto her waist as she put her heels into her mount. The rhino lizard started down the washed out street, which was filled with debris, just as Qing had said. One roof had had the tiles peeled off of it completely, and she had to steer the rhino lizard around it.

"What if they're really hurt? Or worse?" Ty Lee asked Qing, as they approached a group of citizens clearing a fallen tree out of the street. They were hacking at the limbs of the tree, clearing the trunk for removal. The tree had been torn up by its roots, a gaping hole in the courtyard where it had once grown. The courtyard wall was smashed beneath the thick trunk.

"I'm sure they're fine," Qing said, but there was worry in her voice too. "The other girls too. None of them had been arrested either, so they must be safe. Maybe they're all together?"

Ty Lee and Qing had gotten separated from the others during the melee and in the rush to get out of the tavern. They'd sheltered in another tavern two blocks away, while the storm had raged on outside. They'd spent most of the night searching for their friends after the storm had moved off, but hadn't had any luck. Qing had finally gone to check the gaols while she'd rounded up a ride to make their search easier.

Ty Lee was worried, despite everything. She knew the others could handle themselves, but she didn't like not knowing where her friends were.

"Maybe," she said, chewing on her bottom lip. "And maybe they made it up the path to the Caldera and are all at the palace right now and I'm worrying for nothing."

"Maybe," Qing said. "But let's check the hospitals first."

Ty Lee privately agreed and steered the rhino lizard down another side street. As she did, she heard a familiar voice coming from behind them. She wheeled the mount around and a smile broke out over her face as she saw the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors jogging toward her.

"TY LEE! QING!" Tam called, grinning as she pulled to a stop in the puddled street. "Oh thank Kyoshi! You're okay! We were so worried!"

"_You_ were worried? Qing and I have been searching the city gaols all night! We thought you guys got arrested!"

"Rin nearly did," Kikki said, jerking her thumb back at Rin, who looked the worse for wear. She had blood on her shirt and she still didn't look entirely sober. Her hair had been yanked down from its elaborate knot and her makeup was smeared. Despite that, she was grinning widely from a split lip.

"I flirted my way out of it," Rin said, huffing hot air onto her nails and then buffing them on her blood-stained shirt. "I still got it. He's taking me out next weekend."

"Trust you to immediately proposition the first man to slap handcuffs on you," Qing said.

"Har har," Rin said flatly, but she looked amused.

"So where were you?"

"We've been at the hospital," Aiko said, lifting her arm. Ty Lee noticed for the first time that her hand and arm was bandaged half-way up to her elbow.

"Are you okay?" Qing cried, slipping off of the rhino lizard and sliding to the ground. She grabbed Aiko's arm, wincing.

"Cut myself on some debris during the storm," Aiko said. "It was bleeding pretty badly, so we went to the city hospital to get it stitched up."

Ty Lee looked around at them, noting their ragged faces. She couldn't help but notice that they were short two people.

"Were Zuko and Suki with you?" she asked. Tam shook her head.

"We were hoping they were with you."

"We lost them during the bar fight."

"So did we," Mei Lin said, frowning. "They weren't at the hospital with us."

"And they weren't in the gaols, so they weren't arrested."

Ty Lee's anxiety spiked again and she frowned, slipping over the side of the rhino lizard. "Rin, take Aiko back to the palace and see if they managed to slip past us last night. Send a messenger hawk back if you find them up there. We'll keep searching the city. They have to be somewhere."

Rin helped Aiko onto the rhino lizard, and together they took off for the Caldera, leaving the rest of them to search. Ty Lee split them into two parties, wondering if she ought to contact the city watch and have them look around for the missing Fire Lord and the Captain of his Guard as well.

"This is all my fault," Ty Lee mumbled after they had ducked into a noodle shop, asking them if they'd seen anyone fitting Zuko or Suki's description.

"Losing them wasn't your fault," Tam asked her, brow arching.

"Yeah, but I was so determined to get those two to admit they had feelings for each other, I didn't think about what could happen if things went wrong. What if they got kidnapped or something?"

"I'd feel sorry for anyone who tries to kidnap those two," Tam snorted. "You're worrying too much, Ty Lee. I'd bet money they're together and that they're fine. In fact, they're probably cozied up in an inn or something, banging each other's brains out as we speak."

Ty Lee laughed. "Yeah, right. We couldn't get that lucky. Not after everything that happened last night to go wrong."

The rest of the morning dragged on, as they went street by street, searching for their wayward Fire Lord and their missing Captain. A messenger hawk found them near the army barracks, and Rin's hastily scrawled note didn't put Ty Lee at ease. The Fire Lord was not at the palace, and neither was their Captain.

Sure that she was going to have to get the city watch or the Army involved, Ty Lee guided Tam and Qing down one more street. They were near the docks, with the army barracks in the distance. The street was lined with little restaurants. Someone had already cleaned up from the storm, and the street was clean, and mostly empty, save a few shoppers, and a couple kissing in the doorway of a jewelry shop.

The girls went to walk past the couple, Ty Lee's eyes skimming tiredly over them without really seeing them. Tam, however, pulled up short and she ran smack dab into her.

"Tam, what the—" Ty Lee started, but Tam pointed to the couple still kissing in the doorway, so wrapped around one another it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. It took Ty Lee several seconds before she realized that she was staring at her missing Fire Lord, who was making out with their Captain pretty fiercely.

"Well, well, well," Tam said, glancing over her shoulder at her. "Told you they were probably banging each other's brains out last night."

Ty Lee found herself grinning.

Qing, on the other hand, was scowling heavily, looking sleepy and irritable from their long night and even longer morning of frantic searching. She stepped forward and clapped her hands. "EXCUSE ME! Has either one of you seen a Fire Lord in leather pants and a Kyoshi Warrior with a stick up her ass? We seem to have misplaced them!"

Zuko and Suki broke apart, turning on them and blinking in confusion. When they saw the three of them, Suki's face grew red and she bit down on her bottom lip. Zuko grinned at them.

"Morning, girls!" Zuko said, his arms still around Suki. "Did you guys have a good night?"

"Not as good as yours, apparently," Tam snorted. "We've been searching for you guys. Where were you?"

"Oh, uh..." Suki started, still blushing. She glanced at Zuko and back at them. "Around. We got caught in the storm. Had to find shelter."

"Clearly it was someplace with leeches," Tam said.

"Leeches?" Suki frowned at her, confused.

"Yeah, looks like one attacked your neck," Tam said, gesturing to the pretty obvious hickey on Suki's neck. Ty Lee jammed her elbow into her ribs. "OW!"

"I'm just glad we found you," Ty Lee said. "We should get back to the palace."

Zuko and Suki glanced at one another and then sighed together.

"Of course," Zuko said, taking Suki's hand and gesturing the others forward. "I suppose it's inevitable. Where are the others?"

"Searching for you," Ty Lee said.

"I'll go look for them and tell them we found you. We'll meet you guys back at the palace," Tam said, taking off down a side street in the direction the other group of Warriors had gone. That left Qing and Ty Lee to flank Zuko and Suki, who were still holding hands.

Ty Lee fell into step beside Suki as they walked back in the general direction of the path to the Caldera. She glanced at Suki, who was avoiding her gaze.

"So," she said softly, making Suki glance at her. "I take it last night went well."

"Umm..." Suki started, looking tired, but happy. "Yes, it did."

"So are you two together now?"

"Yes, we are," Suki said, and glanced sidelong at Ty Lee. "Look... I'm sorry I've been such a bitch lately. I didn't mean to be."

"You don't have to apologize, Suki," Ty Lee said, grinning. "We all just wanted the two of you to be happy. Hopefully you are now?"

"I am. Very happy."

"Then that's all that matters," she said, shrugging. They walked down the street for another minute, and then she said with a grin, "But you're welcome for last night."

Suki frowned at her. "Yes, thank you for dragging me out with you."

"Right, that's all I did," Ty Lee said mysteriously, making Suki narrow her eyes.

"Ty Lee, did you plan all of this?"

"Right. I flirted with Zuko in front of you, knowing how jealous you get. Then I paid a sailor to flirt with you and get handsy, and then start a fight with Zuko because I know what a jealous idiot he is. Sure. Does that sound like something I would do?"

Suki looked at Ty Lee hard, her brows drawing down low. "Ty Lee..."

Ty Lee grinned. "Even if I did plan it, which I'm not saying I did, I certainly couldn't count on the watchmen showing up so quickly. Or the storm! And losing you two in the chaos, clearly if I had a plan, that would never have been part of it."

"You sneaky monkey," Suki said skeptically, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "If you paid that sailor to grab my ass..."

Ty Lee lifted her eyebrow. "Suki that would be far too devious of me. Honestly, I'm shocked at the suggestion!"

"What suggestion?" Zuko asked, finally overhearing them as they walked.

"Never you mind, Fire Lord Tight Pants," Ty Lee grinned at him. "I'm just glad you two had a...productive and relaxing night off."

Suki was still glaring at her suspiciously, but there was a smile twitching in her lips, as Zuko put his arm around Suki and kissed her temple.

"Me too, Ty Lee. Me too," Zuko said.

Ty Lee smiled and looked up at the clear blue sky above them. She breathed in deeply as they walked, feeling suddenly very pleased with herself. The air was warm and everything felt clean and new.

_I'm good,_ Ty Lee thought smugly, glancing at her friends._ I'm damned good._


	10. Coda

**CODA**

* * *

"I should go," Suki said as she stood in front of the door to Zuko's suite. Zuko nodded and then kissed her again. That devolved into another long kiss that made his head buzz and his heart soar. He breathed in the scent of her, stroking her hair, not willing to let her go for even a moment.

They finally pulled apart, however, both of them out of breath.

"I need to get changed," she said hazily.

"You don't have to change if you come into my room right this instant and make love to me," Zuko whispered.

"Don't tempt me. I need a shower," she said, pushing at his shoulder. "And you need to do Fire Lord business."

Zuko groaned and rested his forehead against hers. "I don't want you to walk away."

"Why not?"

"I'm afraid I'll wake up or something. Like it was all a dream."

"You're not going to wake up," she said, tilting her head back and staring into his eyes. "It wasn't a dream, Zuko."

"Say it again."

She bit her lip and then whispered softly, "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, then glanced down at her neck. "Show it to me."

"Zuko! Here?"

"Not that!" he laughed, looking around the hallway, but it was empty for the moment. "The other thing."

Suki hitched in a breath and pulled a necklace out of her rain-stained, ripped dress. Dangling at the end of the golden necklace was a simple golden ring. It dangled between them, glinting in the afternoon sunlight.

"Do you think the others saw us leave the jewelry shop?"

"No," Zuko said, shaking his head. "We were standing there kissing for a while. I doubt they realized what we were even doing there."

"When should we tell them?"

"Soon, I promise. I want everyone to know that I'm going to marry you, Suki," he said, bending down and kissing her again. When he pulled back, his face was red, and he felt heat swarming through him as he stared down at her. She looked beautiful, the chain wrapped around her fingers, the ring dangling, glinting.

"I can't believe you proposed."

"I can't believe you said yes."

Suki grinned up at him. "I love you, Fire Lord Zuko."

"And I love you, Captain Suki."

* * *

**END**


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